“Silicon Valley,” one of HBO’s most popular and acclaimed comedies, is getting set to launch its fifth season later this month. And it will be the first season without T.J. Miller, whose role as the dimwitted, weed-smoking tech investor Erlich Bachman, made him a breakout star.

Miller’s departure from the show was announced soon after the conclusion of Season 4, and apparently it was not a smooth, hugs-and-kisses exit. Miller trashed the series as a “one-note” show and called Alec Berg, one of the producers on “Silicon Valley,” an “(expletive) idiot.”

This week, “The Hollywood Reporter” caught up with Miller and the Silicon Valley creators to get further intel on how it all went wrong. They essentially painted Miller as an actor who couldn’t be tamed — one who often showed up for work late, if at all, failed to memorize his scripted lines ahead of time and fell asleep between takes.

“There are a lot of different ways you can find out somebody doesn’t want to do the show anymore," creator Mike Judge told THR. "And it’s not fun to work with someone who doesn’t want to be there, (especially when) they’re one of the main people and you’ve got however many crew members and extras and people who are (not paid as well) and they’re all showing up before 7 a.m., and then are just like, ‘Oh, OK, we’re not shooting today.’"

In response, Miller told THR that his erratic set behavior was the result of a busy schedule rather than drugs: “In real life, I’m not always high like Erlich is. And this will blow your readers’ minds, but I’m not high when I work because it gets in the way of the comedy. I also am not a guy who’s blackout-drunk, bumping into things on set. … What was occurring was I was out doing stand-up all the time, even if it meant I only got three hours of sleep. So, the thing I have a problem with? It’s pushing myself to do too much.”

“It just wasn’t working,” says Judge, who, in consultation with his producers and HBO, presented Miller with an offer: He could return for the series’ fifth season, but only for three episodes, as a sendoff for the character. Miller declined the offer. Instead, he decided to bolt after Season 4 (with Erlich waylaid at a Tibetan opium den).

But will “Silicon Valley” lose some of its comical oomph without one of its funniest characters? Berg scoffs at that notion, using a pro basketball analogy and insisting the show hasn’t lost a marquee superstar.

“So, it’s like, yeah, we’ve lost Andre Iguodala but we still have Steph Curry and Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson and some other guy on the Warriors whose name I don’t know,” he said. “But I don’t feel like we can’t win championships anymore because we’ve lost (Miller). … T.J. wasn’t LeBron."

(OK, let’s pause here to figure out who’s who: Is Thomas Middleditch the show’s Curry, or Durant? … Is Kumail Nanjiani our Klay? Or is that Zach Woods? And, what about Draymond Green? Who’s the show’s Draymond? … Oh, never mind).

THR got Miller’s response to Berg’s comment. Miller, who has disparaged Berg specifically in past interviews, said: “Oh, that’s great. And it makes me like him more (because) he’s so good at being an (a-hole).”

“Silicon Valley” launches its fifth season on HBO at 10 p.m. March 25.